Sunday happies

Some shadows I noticed at work one day.

The days and weeks just seem to slip by. We’ve been in a haze of illness (short lived but nasty and the horrible wondering of who might succumb next...) (the ABO), leaving nursery excitement (BigR), learning to jump and fearlessly bump downstairs (no stair gate can hold her back) (LittleR) and coping with all of these things (me). Here are (some of the things) that are my happies since the last time I posted. Joining in with Gillian.

:: Learning to crochet.

I had a fab day with my friend on the ‘learn to crochet’ workshop. Not only did we put the world to rights and have a very tasty lunch (even with many gluten free options for my friend) I even learnt a new skill.

OK...it’s a bit ‘loose’ and ‘rustic’ but coming along. Hopefully I’ll get the hang of tension!!!

I‘m a loooooooooong way off the skill level of many fellow bloggers, but you never know one day I might improve enough to be half as good as them. Practice makes perfect. If I’m able to find the time to practice. It’s a priority for me to make time to do this.

:: Actually making a quiche. I followed this recipe from Sue at the Quince Tree’s blog. I even made the pastry. It was quite simple (in the end) and very delicious. I’ll certainly be doing that again. I’ve been trying to cook a bit more so we have some freezer options. The other weekend I made a shepherd’s pie and put two in the freezer as homemade ready meals. Next up some dinners for the girls.

:: Seeing this bee (can you spot him? or her? I know nothing of bees. Do female bees get to leave the hive?) on some very random planting outside Tesco near the A&E dept of the Leeds General Infirmary. He looked very happy. I’ve seen a lot more bees this year.

:: Spending my birthday money on some books. I had a gift voucher from some review work I did ages ago too. I’m loving the Smitten Kitchen...so many delicious things to make.

::Attempting some (more) inspiration for Autumn cooking. I’m hoping the couple of hours (don’t get me started on all my leave disappearing for the 2 weeks of 2 hour days BigR has starting school!!) I have when BigR is (briefly) at school and LittleR naps (hahahahahaha) I can get some tasty things going on. Nigel Slater is my go to for this kind of cooking and Hugh’s everyday veg is a great book.

:: Planning for a 5^th birthday party....it’s Elsa-tastic.

:: Remembering that even after the most trying day (Is it only my child that moans and whines? Why do I let it get to me?) there is always gin.

Cooking and understanding my place in the world

What a difference a few days or warmer weather and sunshine make? I really feel as though Spring has most definitely sprung. Seeing all the fab photos all over other’s blogs is really inspiring. One day I’ll sort out my camera and stop using my phone!

We had a good weekend. I managed to get the supermarket out of the way very early (thanks BigR for the pre 5am wake up!) and we could spend the rest of the time having fun.

On Saturday whilst LittleR napped we made fairy cakes (or buns as my Yorkshire lass says) and some more date and ginger slices for Daddy. She was very excited to be using the pink cupcake cases. We planned to ice them but they hadn’t cooled enough before LittleR awoke, so one had to be taste tested before that happened for quality control purposes.

We decorated them on Sunday…there can never be too much pink glitter. The lack of icing on the cakes is down to BigR not liking it! We used just enough to stick on the sprinkles!

I was inspired by Gillian to make some poached eggs with Colcannon. Usually my poached eggs don’t cut the mustard. I was quite proud of these two holding their shape. I used a mixed bag of cabbage as I didn’t have any Kale in the fridge and lots of black pepper. It was very, very tasty!

In keeping with my try a new recipe each month…for my evening meal, once the girls were in bed, I made Sue’s chorizo and chickpea rice. I forgot to take a picture of finished dish as I was far too hungry!! I used Chorizo from Tesco and found it to be a lot more piquant than others I have used. No less tasty for it though. There was enough left for lunch the next day which I had with a big salad. You can tell spring is here; I’ve bought salad! Also, this picture tells me I need to clean my pan handle more thoroughly!

I’ve had to google whether you should capitalise ‘spring’ or not. Apparently if you give the word a human trait you add a capital letter….everyday really is a school day!

Sunday saw playing with friends at their house due to inclement weather and the making of a Shepherd's pie and a beef casserole. Batch cooking at its best.

All this food activity meant I spent a happy few hours leafing through some cookbooks. I have 2 huge shelves of cook books and can’t stop collecting them. I’m not sure how much of this changes what we cook day to day, sometimes I think just be having them there things will go in by diffusion!  I have very practical books that I use regularly and plenty of fantasy books that I just read for pleasure (and look at the pictures for inspiration). This is what I perused over the weekend.

The Allegra McEvedy book was a ‘getting paid for the second time after going back to work’ treat. It’s got some lovely looking recipes in it that I may even try out!! I like recipes that have a bit of narrative to them as well. Nigel Slater is a favourite cookery writer. He really understands how to marry together words and food. I’m loving the Rose Prince book too! The River Cottage bread book is a staple. We should have made homemade pizzas but we ran out of time!

Once again I’m thinking about work and not working. It’s nice being paid and having that extra cash to buy books and glittery sprinkles, spending time having adult conversation and using my brain in non-childcare/household (read here cleaning) related tasks. I spent so long in education to get into the ivory tower of academia I’m loathe to give it up completely. Being an academic is part of my identity. A really important part of how I define me. So when I read this today I felt a mixture of relief that I wasn’t alone and despair. I earn a good salary but I’ve added up our childcare costs, how much it costs me to commute, and I have to conclude I’m not really in it for the money that’s left! I’m torn between caring for my children myself and having time as a family and being at work and perpetuating that part of my identity. Our School is in the middle of planning for an Athena Swan silver award, I’m part of the steering committee. It’s interesting as the leads are men, the loudest voices are men and they think they understand the pressures and that flexible working policies are the answer (mine could be a parking permit!). I guess it’ll be up to me to tell them where they’re going wrong!